'It is a day for optimism,' Carney says as Israel, Hamas edge closer to ending war
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday "it is a day for optimism" as Israel and Hamas agreed to the terms of a U.S.-brokered plan for peace in Gaza, paving the way for the release of the Israeli hostages and an end to the hostilities.
Carney said Canada is urging Hamas in particular to follow through on its part of the bargain, namely releasing all the hostages — including the bodies of the deceased — that it snatched and kept in captivity after its brutal Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
The agreement, which has not been published in its entirety but includes at least some sort of ceasefire, came about after sustained pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump and his Arab interlocutors who pushed both sides to down weapons after two years of bloodshed.
Carney saluted Trump for what he called his "effective leadership," which "made it possible" for the two sides to come together.
Carney also acknowledged the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, for helping pull together a plan for peace.
"The Qataris, the Egyptians and Turkey have been essential to get to this moment," he told reporters on his way into Parliament.
Carney said there may be a role for Canada in the days ahead.
Carney revealed Wednesday he has spoken in the last 48 hours to Kushner and former British prime minister Tony Blair, who Trump has said could run an international transitional body that would oversee the governance of post-war Gaza.
"The president and I discussed, in the White House, how Canada can support this process. We are supporting with humanitarian aid — there's other mechanisms that we can do to support it," Carney said. "We're encouraged, but it's the first phase and there's more to come."
Return of hostages 'long awaited'Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Thursday securing the release of the hostages sometime over the next few days is the first priority and then figuring out what comes next "is on the table right now."
"The return of the hostages — this is so important for the peace plan to be able to continue. It has been long awaited," she said.
Anand said Canada is working with Trump and others on the U.S.'s 20-point peace plan.
That plan stipulates that once both Israel and Hamas accept the terms of the agreement, "full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip."
The plan also says Gaza will be a "deradicalized terror-free zone," protected by a temporary international stabilization force and governed by a Trump-chaired "board of peace" with no role for Hamas.
Anand said Canada has already put some $340 million on the table for humanitarian aid in Gaza, the third-highest commitment of any country. Anand did not say if there's any role for Canada's military in keeping the peace, if it can be established in the coming days.
cbc.ca
